The size of a micro optoelectonic component is getting smaller and smaller due to the progressed manufacturing technologies. However, when a micro electronic component is actuated, the temperature of the micro electronic component always rapidly rises owing to the slight increase of the driving current. For example, for the GaAs semiconductor laser and the AIGaAs semiconductor quantum well laser, the electroluminescence results in the rapidly risen temperature of the semiconductor components, so that the micro hot spots are formed. The overheated micro hot spots generally cause the electronic component to be destroyed. Therefore, it is a very important issue for achieving the efficient heat dissipation of micro hot spots when the micro electronic component is actuated.
Since the average size of a micro hot spot is about 50×50 μm2, the sizes of cooling devices made by the traditional electromechanical technologies are too large to be used for dissipating the heat of a micro hot spot. For example, since the size of the traditional thermalelectric cooling devices is about 2×2 mm2 and it is very difficult for the thermalelectric devices to be microfabricated, the traditional thermalelectric cooling devices cannot be used for cooling micro hot spots. Similarly, the traditional cooling module formed by micro heat pipes (about 35 mm diameter) is hardly microfabricated.
The traditional cooling devices having micro channels and hot wells can be designed for cooling micro hot spots; however, the cooling device has to be additionally assembled with a pump having a larger size. It is complicated to assemble the cooling device and the pump owing to the limitation of the materials thereof, and furthermore the cooling fluid flow therein is restricted by the drag force.
C. J. Kim discloses a micro pump formed by the continuous electronic wetting and LIGA (lithography, gavanoformung, and abformung), wherein electrodes with alternate magnetic fields are provided for driving mercury drops to oscillate, so that valves at the openings of the channels are indirectly controlled and the oscillatory fluid flow is formed. (C. J. Kim et al 2001, A micropump driven by continuous electrowetting actuation for low voltage and low power operations.) Although the components provided by C. J. Kim are approximately integrated, the size of the whole device is about 15 mm. Apparently, the device provided by C. J. Kim cannot be used for cooling micro hot spots.
In order to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art described above, the present invention provides a device and a method for generating reciprocating fluid flow to efficiently cool micro hot spots in a micro system.